America Strikes Syria

UNITED STATES—Last week was a big week for the United States as President Trump ordered a military strike against a Syrian airbase after a chemical weapons attack that left dozens of people in Syria dead. More than 50 Tomahawk missiles were launched in the attack at the Al Shayrat Airfield to make it crystal clear to Syria and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad that such attacks of violence will not be tolerated.

The biggest question raised by so many Americans and those across the country is rather this attack by Syria and the counter-attack by the United States is a sign that a new war could be in the works? As an American, I would hope not. War is nothing to take lightly, lives are lost, populations can be devastated and the ripple effects can be felt for decades, even centuries long after the war has concluded.

I mean I was recently studying the aftermath of World War I and World War II that devastated countries like Germany and Japan. The atomic bomb didn’t just take massive lives, but flattened cities literally that are still living with effects of that bomb that sent a clear message for other countries not to mess with America. That was in the 1940s, but today many more countries have their hands on warfare that can be devastating if an attack were held against the United States.

The last attack, as all know was September 11, 2001 that saw planes collide into the World Trade Center building in New York. That was a moment so terrifying that Americans had no idea what was transpiring. At that moment, President George W. Bush and Congress declared war on Iraq that continues to haunt America today. If we were to actually discuss the pros and cons of that war, we could be here for quite some time, so let’s save that issue for another day.

I must argue I was in favor of President Trump launching an attack on Syria to send a clear message that America will NOT allow such tactics of that magnitude to occur without some repercussions. However, I understand those who have made the argument that maybe the United States should not have gotten involved and placed themselves into a situation that could by the catalyst for an ongoing feud with the Syrian government. The one thing so many American are not fully aware of is the fact that the President of the United States of America DOES NOT have the authority to declare war, it’s actually Congress who votes to decide that matter.

So the argument can be made that President Trump violated the law by authorizing an attack without having the permission of Congress as declared by the law. The last thing America needs is to find itself in another war unless we have a definitive reason to be involved. With Syria certainly thinking this was an attack against them by the U.S. government, things might only be intensified with recent news that North Korea is now making threats against the United States.

Yes, North Korea and its leader Kim Jung-un is biting it’s time to plan an attack against the United States and the situation can only be intensified if Kim Jung-un delivers on those threats he has echoed in recent months. This is a country that has already launches ‘test’ missiles as an indicator that they are ready to battle if pushed to the limit, and to be quite honest North Korea is just desperate to stage a ‘show’ to try to wield some prowess. However, in the process not only would North Korea declare war on the United States, but all other countries who are allies of ours!

Very rarely does war induce a battle between just two countries; there are multiple countries that become involved. I do not believe this attack on Syria will lead to World War III or an unnecessary war between two countries, but one can only hope that Syria fully understands the mass genocide of a people through the use of chemical warfare where children were depicted grasping for air and doing their best to survive will not be tolerated. Those days of totalitarian dictatorships are coming to an end and any country that thinks a sole power/ruler is more important than a democracy better think again.